Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 22:24/רמב"ן על שמות כ״ב:כ״ד

אלֹא תִהְיֶה לּוֹ כְּנֹשֶׁה הוּא הַמַּלְוֶה, יֹאמַר שֶׁלֹּא תִּהְיֶה לוֹ כַּמַּלְוֶה שֶׁהוּא כְּמוֹשֵׁל לַלֹּוֶה כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁכָּתוּב "וְעֶבֶד לֹוֶה לְאִישׁ מַלְוֶה" (משלי כב ז), אֲבָל תִּהְיֶה לוֹ בְּכָל דָּבָר כְּאִלּוּ לֹא לָוָה מִמְּךָ לְעוֹלָם, וְלֹא תָשִׂים עָלָיו נֶשֶׁךְ, שֶׁהוּא "נֶשֶׁךְ כֶּסֶף נֶשֶׁךְ אֹכֶל" (דברים כג כ), אֲבָל תִּהְיֶה הַהַלְוָאָה אֵלָיו חֶסֶד, לֹא תִּטֹּל מִמֶּנּוּ תּוֹעֶלֶת כָּבוֹד וְלֹא תּוֹעֶלֶת מָמוֹן:

1THOU SHALT NOT BE TO HIM AS AN EXACTOR — that is, a creditor. He is saying that the lender should not behave to the borrower like a creditor who is a sort of lord over the borrower, as it is written, and the borrower is a servant to the lender,³²⁰ but instead you should behave to him exactly as if he had never borrowed from you; neither shall you lay upon him interest, whether interest of money, interest of victuals.³²¹ Rather, the loan to him should be an act of goodness; you should not take from him any mark of honor because of it, nor are you to derive any monetary benefit from it.